Patterson’s in the shotgun and fakes to Higdon before hitting Gentry on a skinny post for a gain of 16.
That there everyone is a run/pass option. I’m guessing that Patterson is reading the WLB; if he vacates the middle and opens up the passing lane Shea can pull the ball from Higdon and make the throw. It’s a thing of beauty, except there are a few problems and they kind of illustrate why this can be really difficult to execute:
In fact, Gentry may not be the best person to rely on because it seems his football IQ isn’t exactly great. The kid has played a lot of QB in his life and he just seems to make a lot of silly mistakes for a 4th year player (at least in part because everything about the TE position is still fairly new to him). I think back to his confusion earlier in the season with the blocking schemes, then watching him cut back to the middle on the TE screen this week when it was a likely TD if he stays outside, and then on the RPO where he just doesn’t seem to grasp how he’s kind of the fulcrum of the entire play. Don’t get me wrong, he’s immensely talented, but relying on him when the situation requires precision yet complex execution may be a risky proposition.
But anyhow, I don’t bring this up to criticize Gentry because he brings a lot to this offense and I don’t want his mistakes to be the major takeaway of what I’m saying. The RPO was great to see and though it was only one play, it’s another dimension that we’re building toward.
Maryland’s DL was only okay but those LB’s where fast and aggressive. Overall that’s a pretty decent front 7. Yet we did whatever we wanted to that group. We zone blocked, man blocked, trapped, pulled, etc. I don’t want to overstate this but it’s been awhile since I can remember us being able to call whatever the hell we felt like because our OL could not only execute all the different schemes, but also continually overmatch the opponent at every turn.
There’s still another gear that we haven’t hit yet, but we’re building and we’re still getting better every week. Big measuring stick Saturday night.
That there everyone is a run/pass option. I’m guessing that Patterson is reading the WLB; if he vacates the middle and opens up the passing lane Shea can pull the ball from Higdon and make the throw. It’s a thing of beauty, except there are a few problems and they kind of illustrate why this can be really difficult to execute:
- Gentry runs his route too deep; this is the primary problem with the play. He needs to get into his break and find the open area rather than worry about getting downfield. Patterson pulls the ball and is ready to throw but he’s stuck having to wait for Gentry to get his head around. That leads to a couple problems.
- Ruiz is pulling out in front for Higdon on the play but due to Gentry's elongated route Ceaser ends up 3 or 4 yards downfield. The officials missed it but this was a clear penalty for an ineligible receiver downfield.
- Thirdly, again, due to Gentry taking too long to look for the ball, McKeon ends up blocking a LB 5 yards downfield. That’s offensive pass interference.
In fact, Gentry may not be the best person to rely on because it seems his football IQ isn’t exactly great. The kid has played a lot of QB in his life and he just seems to make a lot of silly mistakes for a 4th year player (at least in part because everything about the TE position is still fairly new to him). I think back to his confusion earlier in the season with the blocking schemes, then watching him cut back to the middle on the TE screen this week when it was a likely TD if he stays outside, and then on the RPO where he just doesn’t seem to grasp how he’s kind of the fulcrum of the entire play. Don’t get me wrong, he’s immensely talented, but relying on him when the situation requires precision yet complex execution may be a risky proposition.
But anyhow, I don’t bring this up to criticize Gentry because he brings a lot to this offense and I don’t want his mistakes to be the major takeaway of what I’m saying. The RPO was great to see and though it was only one play, it’s another dimension that we’re building toward.
Maryland’s DL was only okay but those LB’s where fast and aggressive. Overall that’s a pretty decent front 7. Yet we did whatever we wanted to that group. We zone blocked, man blocked, trapped, pulled, etc. I don’t want to overstate this but it’s been awhile since I can remember us being able to call whatever the hell we felt like because our OL could not only execute all the different schemes, but also continually overmatch the opponent at every turn.
There’s still another gear that we haven’t hit yet, but we’re building and we’re still getting better every week. Big measuring stick Saturday night.
